Following the recent discovery of a mass grave in Gaza — in which the bodies of 15 humanitarian workers were interred — the United Nations human-rights Chief warned the Security Council today of a high and increasing risk that atrocity crimes are being committed in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.
Preserving a regional framework for cooperation on peace and security remains critical in West Africa and the Sahel, where military takeovers, undemocratic governance, terrorism, poverty and climate change continue to pose serious challenges, speakers told the Security Council today.
What is the Council going to do to ensure accountability for the killing of aid workers and to prevent more such deaths, a senior United Nations humanitarian official asked the 15-member body today, as she detailed the unprecedented attacks that such workers face in conflict zones around the world.
An increasingly volatile situation — driven by resurgent incursions by rebel militia groups — is killing and displacing civilians in the eastern region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Head of the United Nations Mission in that country warned the Security Council today.
The humanitarian crisis in Ukraine is worsening, a senior United Nations official told the Security Council today, as she both welcomed diplomatic progress and expressed deep alarm over rising attacks on civilians and severe cuts to global humanitarian funding.
Due to the liquidity crisis affecting the United Nations, the Meetings Coverage Section was unable to cover this meeting.
Meeting today — 14 years after the start of the civil war in Syria, four months since the fall of the former regime and weeks removed from harrowing violence along the country’s coast — the Security Council heard of the need for accountability and economic recovery so that the country can move towards credible, inclusive transition.
The Security Council today debated ways to adapt United Nations peacekeeping to evolving threats with Member States emphasizing the need to partner with regional organizations and actively involve local communities, particularly women. They also stressed the importance of aligning mandates with available resources, leveraging intelligence-led strategies and digital tools for data-driven decision-making, and avoiding overly broad “Christmas-tree mandates” that prolong operations and escalate costs.
Speakers in the Security Council today warned of the expansion of illegal settlements in the West Bank and its “Gazafication” amid Israel’s ongoing counter-terrorism operations, which its representative described as efforts to dismantle Iran’s terror networks.
The Security Council today heard harrowing testimony from a former Israeli hostage amid urgent calls for the immediate, unconditional and dignified release of hostages held in Gaza, as well as the swift restoration of the ceasefire, while Israel pledged to fight until all the captives are freed.
